It’s really a small site that will “launch” your total website. It’s a starting point that will drive GDD activities and improvements.

The idea is to get the site up as quickly as possible. So don’t expect – or try to make it – perfect. That’s not the point…yet.

Step 1

So how do you decide which elements to focus on in the launch pad phase?

GDD doesn’t leave this to chance, either.

You’ll want to boil down the most critical elements – about 20 percent of your wish list items – that will have the biggest impact.

Did you catch that?

It’s not the items that your CEO thinks are most important or that have traditionally been on your website.

You’ll need to scrutinize the list, looking for impactful factors that will help drive the value of the site and its impact.

Step 2

Now, review the 20 percent list and whittle it down some more.

Separate the list into two groups:

The must haves

The nice to haves

Work with the must haves, and ask yourself these hard questions:

Is this item absolutely necessary to include in the launch site?

Can it wait to be added in month two or three?

Now, you have a list of items that are absolutely necessary to have at the launch. This is the list of features that will make it onto the launch pad site.

Step 3

Now, you’re going to come up with a hypothesis about each item, evaluating its potential:

Impact

Effort required

Metrics to measure

Definition of success or completion

So, for example, if you wanted to change a call-to-action (CTA) button on the home page into something more specific, like “get a quote,” you will estimate its impact, effort, metrics and performance – and then measure its impact as the weeks go on.

As you collect data and perform analysis, you’ll know exactly how effective each button, page and element is on the website so you can make continuous improvements.

Final Thoughts

A website redesign is a huge undertaking. It requires an investment of your time, money and resources. Growth-driven design makes the process highly effective. It’s based on data that lets you make strategic changes that leads to better outcomes – like more traffic, leads and conversions.What are of website redesign frustrates you most?